


A World of Color

by greenho4



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: F/F, Korrasami Valentine Exchange, Korrasami Valentine Exchange 2021, Soulmates AU, might continue this cuz i really like this soulmates idea, the world is black and white until you meet your soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 05:41:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30033942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenho4/pseuds/greenho4
Summary: In Korra's world, those who have not yet met their soulmates live in a grayscale-colored world. But when she stumbles upon a certain someone...her world becomes a lot more colorful.For the Korrasami Valentine Exchange 2021 on Tumblr.
Relationships: Korra/Asami Sato
Comments: 6
Kudos: 77





	A World of Color

**Author's Note:**

> This has been a fun exchange to oversee, and I'm really glad I got to participate (as mod, I was gonna kick myself out if we had an odd number of participants :P). This is the response fic to theyremultiplying's artwork on tumblr, which can be found [here](https://korrasami-valentine-exchange.tumblr.com/post/643789673772318720)!  
> But! This soulmates idea! Is actually really interesting! I am really tempted to continue this at some point in the future since the ending feels a bit rushed but...who knows....  
> Anyway, please enjoy :)  
> -Xan

Korra was frustrated. There were many reasons for it. Being a college student wasn’t easy, especially when she was trying to juggle sports  _ and _ academics at the same time, all with the impending doom of graduation approaching in a few years. As the only child of Chief Tonraq from the Southern Water Tribe, Korra had a lot of expectations on her shoulders. Everyone looked to her as the exemplary role model, paving the way towards the future. It was a lot to take in at times.

But that wasn’t her main concern. She was used to the pressure; she even welcomed it. No, what frustrated her even more was how, at the age of twenty-one, she  _ still _ had not met her soulmate yet. It wasn’t the lack of a soulmate that bothered her, though. She was content being single and in no rush to meet the love of her life (though, she definitely wouldn’t mind it happening).

It was more about the  _ consequences _ of not having met hers yet.

See...there was just one small problem with the whole soulmates thing.

It wasn’t anything horrifying, either. Nothing that would harm or hurt her.

No, the problem with not meeting her soulmate yet was the simple fact that her world was black and white until then. Every person was born with the ability to only see the world in grayscale. This changed when they met their soulmate--suddenly, other colors sprang into view, painting the world in vivid, beautiful colors that were breathtaking to see at first.

Or so everyone told her. Having not met her soulmate yet, she had no clue what a colorful world was really like and only had her imagination to go on. Her friends and family would often refer to things by their colors and all she could do was stare blankly.

Korra opened the door to her dorm room, which she shared with her roommate Opal. They met during their first year, introduced to them by Lin Beifong. Lin was the police officer in charge of security at Republic City University, and the one tasked with being Korra’s sort-of-guardian-slash-protector-slash-parent while she was in Republic City. Lin also happened to be Opal’s aunt.

“Hi, Korra!” Opal was spread out on the couch, cradling her laptop on her stomach as she clicked away at the keys. Next to her, with his arm draped over his girlfriend, Bolin gave a little wave.

“Just came from soccer practice?” Bolin asked.

“Yup.” Korra dropped her bag by the entrance. “And I have to wake up early tomorrow for extra practice. One of the freshmen is having trouble, and as the captain, it’s my sworn duty to help. So, don’t be too loud, you two.”

Opal threw one of the couch pillows at her. “Yes, yes, we know.”

Bolin grinned at her, giving her a thumbs up in acknowledgement.

“Any luck today?” Opal asked as Korra headed toward the bathroom for a much needed shower.

Korra groaned dramatically. It was a routine question by now. “No, I wish.”

“Don’t lose hope,” Opal said comfortingly. “You’re still young. There’s still lots of time for you to find your soulmate.”

“Easy for you to say,” Korra retorted. “You and Bolin met freshman year.”

“Well, Mako didn’t meet Wu until this summer,” Bolin pointed out. “And my parents didn’t meet until  _ after _ college. So, Opal has a point.”

Bolin paused, a sly grin emerging on his face. “Say, Korra, what color shirt am I wearing?”

“Oh, screw you,” Korra said, flipping him off. “You know I can only see black and white!”

She slammed the bathroom door behind her for good measure. She knew they were only teasing; she could hear Bolin and Opal erupting into laughter and she rolled her eyes at their antics. They were her best friends and she knew they meant no harm, but sometimes she wanted to kick a soccer ball in their faces. It wasn’t her fault she could only see in grayscale, and it wasn’t for lack of trying either.

When she got out of the shower, a fourth member had arrived--Bolin’s older brother Mako. Korra could smell pizza wafting through the door and her stomach growled. At least Mako had some common sense in him.

“Just in time for pizza,” she said, grabbing two slices of pizza onto a plate and digging in. “What movie are we watching tonight?”

“Space Sweepers,” Bolin said, setting up his laptop and connecting it to the television in front of them. “I’ve heard it’s good.”

“Never heard of it,” Korra commented. “But how bad can it be?”

She nudged Opal out of the way so she could make space for herself on the couch. Mako and Bolin followed suit, and the four of them somehow managed to cram themselves onto the couch.

The movie started playing and Korra looked around. “No Wu today?”

“He has a family meeting,” said Mako, who was seated to her right, half on the arm of the couch and half on the couch itself.

“And you didn’t go with him?” Bolin asked, raising an eyebrow at him. Opal and Korra gasped loudly.

Mako rolled his eyes. “His aunt made sure to be very clear that I was not invited.”

“Should’ve gone anyway,” Bolin said, stuffing pizza into his mouth.

Mako grimaced. “I don’t have a death wish.”

“How long will he be gone?” Opal asked, changing the subject.

“Just this weekend,” said Mako. “He’ll be back Monday.”

“We should go out this weekend,” Bolin said, snapping his fingers together as if he had just come up with a brilliant plan. “The four of us, just like old times. Except now we can  _ legally _ get drunk.”

“Can’t,” Korra said dejectedly. “I have that group project to work on tomorrow.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re studying the tide pools at the beach, right?” Opal asked.

“We can head down there together,” Bolin offered. “The three of us can hang around for a while until you’re done and then we can all head out to a club.”

“Ugh, please, no more,” said Mako. “I’m graduating this year and don’t have time for this. Plus, I have work in the morning.”

“Mako, just  _ one _ day!” Bolin begged. “You have Sunday to work on your stuff!”

“Yeah, uh, no, I’ll still pass,” the older brother said. He shook his head. “Speaking of which, it’s getting late and I have more work to do. I won’t be able to stay after the movie.”

Bolin and Korra booed at him, earning themselves a scolding from Opal, who was trying to enjoy the movie. Mako only rolled his eyes at them.

“Can we turn off the lights?” Bolin asked, squinting at the screen. “Makes for a better experience.”

Korra caught Mako and Opal exchanging furtive glances and sighed internally, knowing what they were thinking. Turning off the lights made it harder for her to enjoy the movie--all the colors started to blend closer to black, making it difficult to distinguish what was what.

“Let’s keep them on, Bo,” Mako said cautiously.

“No, it’s fine,” Korra said, though she would have preferred the lights stay on. “I’ll just watch it again when I finally meet my soulmate. It can’t be too far from now, right?”

“Ha...yeah…” Bolin laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “You know what? It’s probably better with the lights on right now. We still haven’t finished eating. I wouldn’t want us causing a mess.”

Korra shrugged. She didn’t have the heart to argue with him. She was tired of her friends having to cater to her, even if it was no fault of her own, and just wanted to fit in with them.

They fell into comfortable conversation as the movie continued playing, but Korra could feel the underlying tension there. She prayed to whatever greater power was out there that she would meet her soulmate soon.

The next morning, Korra woke up early, feeling the sun’s warm rays on her skin. She knew the sun was supposed to be yellow, but all Korra could see were streaks of white. They were still beautiful and she took a few minutes to revel in it. Though she couldn’t see as many colors as the others, she still thought there was something stunning about the black and white of her world.

After getting changed and downing a smoothie, Korra headed to the university’s soccer field to meet with her team. She took the bus--she had no car of her own and wasn’t inclined to learn how to drive just yet since she preferred walking or biking--and stood near the back, watching the world pass by. Streaks of gray and black and white raced past her. The sky was a light gray, the clouds and the sun were white. She herself was closer to black, from her skin to her outfit. The bus’ interior was a dark gray. She wondered what they looked like in actuality, and what her favorite color would be. Her friends had placed bets on it--Bolin guessed it would be green, while Mako argued purple. Opal, who Korra suspected was likely to get it correct, had firmly said that it would be blue. Korra was looking forward to finding out.

The bus arrived at the field and Korra got off, thanking the driver, her bag slung over one shoulder. There was a slight breeze picking up, a sharp contrast to the sun’s heating warmth. It felt like it was going to be a good day--a sunny sky and pleasant weather.

“Hey, Korra!” Her coach, Kuvira, was already on the field, stretching. There were a few other early arrivals dawdling about in various stages of warming up. They let out their own greetings as the team captain approached. Korra waved at them, returning their greetings as she headed into the locker room to get changed.

In the locker room, she found the freshman there; they were the newest members and likely had wanted to make a good impression on her by arriving before her. She had done the same when she had first started out. She went around learning their names and making them feel welcome before getting changed into her uniform.

Practice went by swiftly, with Korra leading the drills and running through their new formations. She was harsh on them, but made sure to tune in to what the group was feeling, not wanting to push them past exhaustion. There was something thrilling about kicking the soccer ball--it was black and white, the way she saw the world. Color was of little consequence in this game, and they all wore different uniforms, ones distinguished by style rather than color. Korra could focus on the game, letting everything else fall away, concentrating only on her environment. There was the shuffling of feet on grass, and the smell of sweat and dirt, and the taste of dust in her mouth.

The sun was high in the sky by the time they ended--a little before noon. She was sweating profusely, the sweat colored white on her skin, dripping towards the grass and vanishing. Her lips were parched, and her stomach was rumbling.

She headed back into the locker rooms for a shower, turning the water to its hottest setting, letting it soothe her aching muscles. The tiles were smooth and white, the water camouflaging with it so that Korra could not tell the difference. She had heard that water was clear--but that the ocean was blue. She understood the theory of why, but without seeing it for herself, she had trouble believing that something could differ in colors so wildly. For her, gray was not that far from black and white--a combination of the two, really.

After her shower, Korra went back to her dorm. Opal was missing--out on a date with Bolin--and she had the room all to herself. She sifted through the refrigerator for yesterday’s leftover pizza, putting them on a plate and popping it into the microwave. 

She still had a few hours before she had to head to the beach for her marine biology class, so she decided to get some gaming done, booting up the computer on her desktop. The microwave let out a ding, and Korra went to fetch her lunch, bringing it back to her room and putting on her headset.

She took a bite of her pizza slice as she waited for her game to open. Opal’s younger twin brothers, Wing and Wei, were already on, and Korra joined them.

“Hey, you two, what’s up?”

“Korra!” One of the twins--Korra was unsure which--spoke up. “Don’t you have a project today? That’s what Opal said, anyway.”

“Yeah, in a few hours,” Korra replied. “I have some time to kill right now, so let’s get a game going, huh?”

“Sure, sure.”

They started their game, choosing the soulmate-less options, which marked the characters and the map with symbols rather than colors. Korra was glad that at least some of her friends had not met their soulmates yet. She didn’t have to worry about being confused by descriptions of color when playing as both Wing and Wei had not yet met their soulmates. When she played with her other friends, the ones who had already found their soulmates, they always forgot that she could not see color, yelling at her to shoot a certain color-coded enemy or obtain a certain colored object. With the Beifong twins, they could all stick to non-color descriptors like shape or size.

Korra had a fun time playing with the brothers, the three of them exchanging playful insults and jokes. But soon, it had to come to an end.

“Sorry, guys,” Korra said. “But it’s time for me to get work started.”

“Aw,” one of the twins said. “Let’s play tomorrow, though?”

“Oh, definitely!” Korra said. “We can get Bolin to join us, too.”

“The man’s a riot,” the other brother said. “I’m glad he’s Opal’s soulmate.”

“Yeah, me, too,” said Korra. “He’s my best friend, and without him, I don’t know if Opal and I would ever have become best friends.”

“You wouldn’t have met us, either,” Wing or Wei said. “No one in this family understands gaming the way you and Bolin do.”

“Ha ha, yeah.” Korra got out of her seat. “Alright, gotta go. Bye guys!”

She logged out of her game and put her headset away. She glanced at the clock in her room, the numbers reading that it was a little past three in the afternoon. She was supposed to meet her group at four, and it took about half an hour to get to the beach. 

Korra took her time getting ready, putting her dishes in the sink to wash later. She looked around her room for her assignment and textbook, finding them buried underneath her bed, and tucked them into her bag. She packed some snacks and a bottle of water, checked that she had writing utensils and her wallet, and then headed out.

The beach was pretty busy when she got there. There were people milling about, families gathered on the sand building sandcastles and friends chasing each other around. There were even a few games of volleyball at work.

The ocean was a nice shade of dark gray, turning to a lighter gray when they washed onto the white-colored sandy shore. The waves were receding further and further, indicative of low tide. Clumps of kelp were stranded on the sand, and Korra could smell its scent even from her position. 

In the other direction, she could see the city and the boardwalk. Cars drove by at a slow pace, making way for pedestrians headed to and from the beach. There were vendors selling all kinds of souvenirs and the honking of both car and bike horns. In the horizon, she could see the massive skyscrapers of the city, and even spotted Future Industries’ famous red gear symbol. The company’s factories were puffing out black smoke, and Korra frowned disapprovingly.

She knew Hiroshi Sato was doing good, paving the way for the future with his brilliant innovations and clever inventions. His daughter Asami was in Korra’s year, though she had never met her in person, having only seen pictures of her in magazines. Korra couldn’t help but think Asami was probably like her father--a genius, but with little concern for the environment. Korra grimaced. Asami Sato was popular, she knew. She heard whispers of her everyone, and Korra would bet that the heiress had already found her soulmate. She was way too fashionable (according to everyone else, anyway) to not have found color yet.

Shaking her head, Korra made her way to the rocky cliffs, climbing up until she could spot the tide pools. There were people up here, too, though Korra noted that most of them were her classmates and fellow marine biologists. Her three other group members were crouched over one of the larger tide pools, notebooks and cell phones in their hands as they took notes and pictures. 

Korra joined them, putting down her bag and taking out her own notebook and a pen to jot down notes with.

“Glad you could join us,” one of her teammates said, clapping her on the back.

She knelt down next to them. “Glad to be here.”

They peered at the tidal pool in front of them, exchanging conversation as they tried to figure out what organisms were in it.

Korra opened her field guide, flipping through the pages, trying to identify one of the mussels. To her frustration, there were a couple mussels that all looked the same, identified mainly by color. As she could not distinguish colors well and without the right equipment to properly examine them, she had no way of knowing for sure which one they had.

“Ah, I found it!” one of her team members said. They gestured at a page in their book. “See the tiny streak of green here?”

Korra looked at the page but saw nothing but gray. Her soulmate-less view of the world was really hindering her work right now and she growled in frustration. Some of her teammates glanced at her in sympathy but she put on a brave smile, acting like nothing was wrong. She just had to be patient--one day, she would meet her soulmate and then she would be able to see everything properly. She just hoped it would be soon. She had no idea how long she would survive in her field without being able to actually see.

On Monday, Korra found herself in good spirits, despite her continued grayscale perspective. Her morning classes had gone by without a hitch--one of their homework assignments had been extended due to an oversight by her professor--and she had been able to have lunch with her friends, including Wu, who always somehow managed to bring a smile out of the normally stoic Mako.

In the afternoon, she had only one class--her  _ Introduction to Tidal Pool Ecology _ course. After the lecture, she had reunited with her group and they had discussed how they wanted to approach the project. They would have to revisit the tidal pools again to examine some of the others for comparison, but they had made considerable progress already and everything was falling into place. 

After their meeting was over and their assignments divided--Korra was put in charge of most of the text paperwork since she couldn’t work well with the visuals yet--they dispersed, going their separate ways.

“See you later!” Korra called out, waving goodbye to her group. She rounded the corner, headed towards the stairs.

However, something crashed into her--or, as Korra looked again, it was some _ one _ .

“Shit!” The other person swore as their books fell, the hardcovers clattering to the floor. Papers fell out and they both leaned down to pick them back up.

“So sorry! I wasn’t watching my way,” they both said at the same time. Korra reached for the nearest book--their covers were the same color and she would have to figure out whose was whose later--but then paused. 

From the corner of her eye, she saw something that caught her attention. She had no words for it, the sight of it astonishing her beyond anything.

Something...something was happening. The other person’s hand had paused too, both of them watching the scene before them, though Korra was unsure if the events were happening simultaneously for them.

“Wait…” Korra’s word came out like a breathless whisper, her heart beating loudly in her ears in excitement. 

“What the--?” The other person’s voice was filled with just as much awe as the two observed what was going on.

To put it in the simplest way Korra could: new colors were emerging. Their books, which had been identical before, were changing, their covers revealing new things that Korra had never seen before, though the pages themselves remained the same.

Colors sprouted into view, with no words for her to describe them. There were so many, more than she could keep up with, more than she had thought possible--and definitely more than her friends and family had ever said--leaving her speechless.

This was the moment she had been waiting for her whole life and yet--Korra looked up, finally noticing who it was she had collided with. The other person...was a girl. She had black hair that ran past her shoulders and a small smile on her face. Her turtleneck matched her shoes, which matched her lips--Korra wondered if that was what all lips looked like and then wondered why she was even wondering that--but her eyes…

She had no idea what color they were but she loved it, finding it stunning. 

Korra blinked in surprise at the girl before her. It was someone she had seen in passing while on campus. Although they had similar social circles, they had never directly met before. Not until now that was.

One word escaped her lips. “Her?” 

It was Asami Sato.

Asami was...normal, Korra realized. The two of them had picked up their papers and books--after a bit of confusion as they tried to find out which book belonged to who by reading the handwritten words--and were now seated on a bench in the park, a few inches of empty space separating them. After confirming that both had clear schedules for the rest of the day, they had agreed to get to know each other, starting with a chat in the park since dinner was probably too early at this stage.

Korra fidgeted nervously at their close proximity, unsure of what to say. She couldn’t believe her soulmate was  _ the _ Asami Sato...not to mention that it was a girl. No wonder she had such bad luck so far, having only focused on every single boy she had met.

The other girl was just as quiet, though more calm. Korra looked at anywhere but her direction, which wasn’t hard to do considering her newfound discovery. The grass had a new color, and the trees had their own colors. Even the outfits of passerby--they were all a mash of many colors, instead of just the three that she was used to. And the sky was some lovely shade of…something. Korra decided it was her favorite color.

“So, uh, Korra, you’re the captain of the soccer team, right?” Asami asked, trying to get the conversation started.

Korra nodded, closing her eyes a little to stop the influx of colors ambushing her brain. “Yup. Just started this year. I love soccer, I always have, ever since I was a kid. Though, I’m majoring in marine biology. How about you? What do you do?”

Asami smiled at her and Korra’s heart fluttered in spite of herself. Did she like girls? She hadn’t thought so. “Well, I’m certain you know I’m the heir to Future Industries. My father’s company deals with a lot of things, but I love cars the most.”

“Ah, right, I recall that. So, what, you study…?” Korra trailed off, leaving it as a question.

“Mechanical engineering,” Asami finished for her.

“Oh, cool, cool.” Korra found herself at a loss for words again, even though she was normally the talkative one in her friend group. It was ironic to her that Asami, the introverted one, was the one initiating the talks right now. Her hand reached for her backpack--something to ground her. It was comforting knowing that at least her four other senses were still the same.

“What do you think?” Asami asked. Korra noticed that she also had her eyes closed.

“What?”

“About all this,” Asami said, opening her eyes again and waving her hand around. “About us.”

“Uh.” Korra wasn’t sure what to say, having not given too much thought into it yet.

“You know, just because we’re soulmates doesn’t mean we  _ have _ to get together or anything,” Asami said slowly. “There are plenty of soulmates who are just friends.”

Korra swallowed. “Yeah, I know that. But...I would like to still try, if that’s cool with you.”

There was something like relief in Asami’s eyes, made all the more pronounced by the addition of color. Something in the recess of her memory told her it was  _ green _ . “I would like that.”

Korra grinned, the tension breaking a little. “You know, I definitely wasn’t expecting it to be  _ you _ . I thought you had already found your soulmate, being an heiress and all.”

“That makes two of us,” Asami replied. “It’s not like you’re exactly unpopular, Korra. You’re Chief Tonraq’s daughter, the so-called Avatar.”

Korra gave an embarrassed laugh. “That nickname is still around, huh?”

“You’re our school’s champion of sports,” Asami said teasingly. “All the athletes know you.”

“Are you an athlete?” Korra raised an eyebrow at her, surprised.

“Is it that surprising?” Asami laughed, her hair shaking a little. Korra couldn’t help but think that black was still beautiful, even among all the other colors. “I’m the captain of women’s volleyball, so, yes, I am an athlete.”

“No wonder we’ve never seen each other,” Korra said. “Women’s soccer happens during the same season. I do beach volleyball in the spring, though. How come I never see you then?”

Asami flashed her a smile full of white teeth. “I race during the spring.”

“...race?”

“Yeah.” Asami ducked her head a little, shyly tucking some of her hair behind an ear. “I love cars and racing.”

“That’s actually really cool,” Korra said, surprised once more. Asami was just full of unexpected things.  _ Her _ kind of things. Maybe they could get along. 

“I could show you some, if you’d like,” Asami offered. “I have a garage nearby, where I work with cars.”

“I’d like that,” said Korra. “I’m really surprised we’ve never actually, you know, met before this. I’m really certain I’ve seen you at those events that Tenzin likes to take me to.”

“I’ve seen you at them,” Asami said. “But I guess we didn’t know we were each other’s soulmate since we never actually directly met. I think our social circles are slightly different; my father runs with businessmen, and Tenzin’s is more of politicians and ambassadors.” 

“That’s true,” Korra said. “Well, now we know to  _ not _ avoid each other from now on.”

The two of them talked for another hour, slowly warming up to each other and learning things that defied their original assumptions. Asami was easy to get along with, having a relaxed attitude about everything. Korra felt her guard lower more and more as they talked and soon they were chatting away like old childhood friends.

Later that week, Korra lay on her bed, her phone in her hands, scrolling through the colors guide. She had it bookmarked for whenever she finally met her soulmate, and now that she had, she had visited the website countless times already.

There existed even more colors than she had seen on the first day, and some of them felt made-up, looking exactly the same as other colors. And she finally had a name for the color of the sky (blue) and Asami’s eyes (green).

Opal had been smug about being right that her favorite color would be blue, but Bolin had not been far off--Korra’s second favorite color was looking to be green and it was definitely  _ not _ because of a certain someone she had met earlier today.

It was overwhelming to have so many options now. As she scrolled through the page, Korra tried to remember what was what, but they all jumbled in her head. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath.

“You good, Korra?” Opal stood at the doorway, the shadow of her silhouette against the light. She was leaning against the doorframe, wearing her pajamas.

“Green,” Korra said instinctively.

Opal laughed. “Yeah. I’m wearing green.”

She entered the room and sat at the edge of her bed. “Hard to keep track, huh?”

“Yeah,” Korra admitted, sitting up slightly, leaning her back against her pillow.

“Don’t worry, though,” said Opal. “You’ll figure it out. It’s only been a few days. Plus, you won’t have to do this alone. You and Asami can figure it out together.”

“She’s great,” Korra confessed. “I mean, I was wary of her at first ‘cause of the whole ‘heir to Future Industries’ thing, but she’s actually really chill.”

She and Asami had started meeting each other frequently, enough that Korra had Asami’s schedule memorized already. Korra was comfortable with Asami now, even starting to call her “Sami” for short, which Asami had not minded. Asami had even found Korra’s number, having gotten it from Opal (their parents knew each other considering Beifong Steel provided Future Industries with a lot of their materials), and the two could be found texting late into the night.

Opal handed Korra something: a pair of glasses. “I figured you were too busy to remember to get one of these, but here you go.”

“Thanks.” Korra accepted the gift. It was common for new soulmates to put on special color-stabilizing glasses--they helped filter colors to their basics, to avoid sensory overload. Korra figured she would probably need them soon. As much as she enjoyed seeing all the new colors, it was still a lot to take in at once. She’d been forced to close her eyes on numerous occasions this week, just to block out all the color.

Opal left the room and Korra settled back down, staring at the ceiling. There was a chime from her phone, and she looked at the screen.

There was a text message. Korra opened her phone to find it was from Asami.

**Asami:** **_Hi Korra._ **

Korra typed out a reply, feeling giddy for some reason even though all Asami had doen was greet her.

**Korra:** **_hi <3_ **

It took no time for a reply to emerge.

**Asami:** **_Are you doing anything this weekend? I’m free this weekend, if you want to hang out. Maybe meet me at my garage? We could take some of the cars out for a test run, like I said I would._ **

Korra couldn’t stop the wide grin spreading across her face, imagining it in her mind: the two of them seated in one of Future Industries’ racing cars, with Asami at the wheel, and Korra behind her, the feel of the wind rushing in their faces, the hum of the engine loud in their ears.

**Korra:** **_oh hell yeah! id be down :)_ **

**Asami:** **_Awesome. And…maybe dinner after?_ **

**Korra:** **_straight to the point huh?_ **

**Asami:** **_It doesn’t have to be a date if you don’t want it to be. I just thought it would be a nice way to get to know each other some more. I don’t like to rush important things, and this is definitely important._ **

**Korra:** **_thats fair. whens a good time? how about 4 pm sunday?_ **

**Asami:** **_Sounds perfect._ **

Sunday found Korra standing in front of Asami’s garage. It was a small place, tucked away in a corner, a sharp contrast to the grand building that she had expected. There were a few passerby around but the place was mostly empty, the street located in the calmer parts of Republic City.

“This is my personal garage,” Asami explained when she came out and caught Korra eyeing the building. “I don’t really like to advertise it to the public.”

“I get it,” Korra said as they walked in. There were three cars in there, two of them covered. Korra could smell grease and oil. “It’s not easy for us, being the kids of famous people. We need our own hidden places sometimes.”

Asami stopped in front of one of the covered cars, studying her. “But you like the attention.” It wasn’t a question. 

“Yeah. I do.” Korra did not deny it. She gestured to the car in front of her. “So, which bad boy are we taking for a spin?”

Asami grinned, a wicked gleam in her green eyes. She unveiled the car behind her, revealing a sleek orange design. 

“You know, it was hard designing these when I couldn’t see the colors,” Asami said, tossing Korra a helmet. “I went with suggestions from friends, but...I’m not sure I like this color. This will be the last time I listen to Ginger’s ideas.”

“Ginger? Like, the actress?”

“Yeah.” Asami gave a light laugh that sent Korra’s heart soaring. “Come on, don’t look so surprised, Korra. You forget who I am.”

Asami strapped on her helmet and showed Korra how to do her’s. After making sure everything was set, they got in, with Asami behind the wheel. Korra flushed, realizing how close they were and moved her hands away from the other girl, gripping the sides of the car instead.

“Hold on tight,” Asami said. “This will be fast.”

After an hour of exhilarating speed, the two of them called it a day.

“I know a good noodle place,” Korra offered as they debated where to get dinner. “Narook’s is nearby.”

“Your favorite place, right?” Asami asked knowingly.

Korra nodded. “Only if you want to, though.”

“I’d love to.”

The two of them decided to walk there, taking their time to soak in the city sights. They pointed out different colors to each other, showcasing their expanded vocabulary and comparing favorites.

Finally, they got to Narook’s, where the waiter settled them at a table near the windows, where they could continue to observe the ongoing city life. Korra suggested some dishes for Asami to try out and soon they both had steaming bowls of seaweed noodles in front of them.

Korra watched as Asami seemed to hesitate over something.

“Are the noodles not to your liking?” Korra asked, worried. The two of them had many differences, but this was a dealbreaker for her...anyone who hated her favorite noodles would be hard for her to get along with.

Asami slowly poked at her noodles. “No, I love it, actually. It’s just...it’s not easy for me to let others in, especially after my mother’s...death.”

Korra reached a hand out comfortingly. “Hey, you don’t have to talk about it.”

“I want to,” Asami said softly. She locked eyes with her. “Korra, I trust you. A lot. I’ve only known you for about a week, but you make me feel safe.”

Korra felt a warmth spread throughout her entire body and she smiled at her soulmate. “Hey...you make me feel the same way, too, Asami.”

“Well, you know firsthand how it is,” Asami said. “It’s not easy being us, always in the public eye and under their scrutiny. I’ve always had to put my guard up but you never do that. You don’t judge me--well, maybe a little at first, but I think we all tend to judge people before knowing them--but the point is, I’d been living life one day at a time without knowing it. I was living in a black and white world, one full of high expectations and loneliness, but now that we’ve found each other...”

Korra finished the thought that was on both their minds. 

“Now we live in a world of color.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to check out all the wonderful works created for the Korrasami Valentine Exchange 2021 on tumblr, which can be found [here](https://korrasami-valentine-exchange.tumblr.com/)!


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